Manufacture of elastic threads



Dec, 7, 1937 R. PICKLES ET AL MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC THREADS Filed May 12, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR R. PICKLES ET AL MANUFACTURE OF ELASTIC THREADS Dec. 7, 1937.

Filed May 12, 1956 5 Sheets-Shet 5 llllllll UWJ ' IEIVENTOiEi WM atented cc. 9 i3? Robert Pickles, an and .llohn memes, Fence, near fiurnlley, England Application May 112, race, Serial No. taste in Great Britain September lit, 19%

i ciaima, (e11. iii-2i) This invention relates to the manufacture of elastic threads in which one or more rubber filaments are combined with one or more non-emtensible threads of cotton, or other fibrous material and the present invention has for its object to introduce an improved construction of elastic thread which will be capable of extension to its". elastic limit without destroying or otherwise im-- pairing the strength of the rubber filamental and/or the fibrous components.

in the manufacture of covered elastic thread it has been the recognized practice to wrap a cotton or other thread around an elastic core by means of a revolving thread carrier, or two re volving thread carriers rotating in opposite directions.

According to this invention, one or more spools or bobbins containing the rubber filament or filaments are supported between rollers which are driven in the same direction at a speed which can be varied by any suitable speed controlling device and suitably situated in relation to said rollers is a bobbin rail carrying cones or the like from which the fibrous threads are drawn in an axial direction and caused to combine with the rubber filament by the ballooning action of the said fibrous threads as they pass with the rubber.

in Fig. l.

filament to a tension rail, the combined threads then passing to a spool or bobbin on which they are wound at a constant linear speed which exceeds that at which the rubber filament is delivered and can be varied for varying and'measuring the amount of stretch that is imparted to the rubber filament and definitely controlling and measuring the length that is wound on the spool or bobbin.

In one arrangement a single rubber filament may be wound on a spool which may rest on and be supported between two rollers which are driven in the same direction at any required speed by any suitable arrangement of variable speed gearing. Two cones wound with the fibrous thread in a right and left hand direction respectively are.

supported on the bobbin rail at opposite sides of the tensioned rubber filament. The ballooning action of the threads so wound which takes place between the cones and the tension rod causes the fibrous threads and rubber filament to combine by slightly disarranging the parallel formation oi the threads and so producing a slight binding effect. The threads are guided on to a bobbin or spool by a traversing thread guide and wound by a revolving drum which can be driven at any re-- quired speed.

The bobbins or spools with the combined 'wheel o on a shaft D that is shown fitted with a threads wound thereon are subsequently taken to a ring or other suitable ply-,dbubling frame p eferably of the wet type for two further processes, the first of which is the imparting of the necessary twist to the combined threads for producing a normally doubled yarn plus a certain amount of additional twist which hasbeen found by experience to be necessary, or essential to obtain the best results in the finished thread. The spools containing the combined and twisted threads are now arranged in pairs on the doubling frame and twisted inthe opposite direction to make one combined thread for each pair, the amount of twist being such as to neutralize the exact amount of the additional twist that was 15 imparted to the yarn in the first doubling operation to produce a doubled yarn that lies, when inert, perfectly round and even throughout its length, is evenly twisted and will return to its normal condition and length after being fully extended without tendency to crinkle.

In the accompanying drawings:-

Fig. l is a front view of part of a machinefor causing fibrous threads and a rubber filament to combine.

Fig. 21s a transverse section of a portion of the machine looking in the direction of the arrow i Fig. 3 is an end elevation of partof the machine and Fig. 4 is a transverse section of part of a ring doubling frame, one side of which is adapted for single twisting and the other side for doubling a right and left hand twist.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, A indicates a rubber filament that is wound on a bobbin or spool B that rests on two rollers C that are driven in the same direction at any desired speed by a chain c Fig. 3 which passes over two sprocket wheels 0 c on the roller shafts c 0 Fixed on the shaft c is a sprocket wheel 0 that is connected by a chain c with a sprocket wheel 0" fixedon a bottom line shaft 0. Fixed on this shaft is a sprocket wheel 6 that is connected by a chain 0 to a sprocket driving pulley d. Each of the bobbins or spools B is prevented from endwise movement on the rollers C by fingers I) fixed to a stationary rail b E and E indicate two cones which are supported on conical supports e fixed to a rail e supported on brackets e" fixed to the'machine frame F. The cones E E are arranged at opposite sides of the filament A and carry the fibrous threads E E which are wound in opposite directions respectively on the cones E and E The'comblned 55 threads'and tensioned filament are taken over a tension rodG carried by brackets g that are ad- Justable on brackets H that are fixed at intervals along the frame F. The combined threads and filament are then taken through a traversing thread guide J fixed to a bar 7 that rests on rollers j -mounted in brackets 7' that are adiustably fixed on the brackets H. After passing through the thread guide J the combined threads and filament are taken to a bobbin K that is loosely mounted on a spindle k that is supported in grooves k formed in arms k forming part of a bracket that is hinged on a rod 70 A portion of the bracket is provided with a projection or arm k which can be operated on by hand to turn the bracket into a substantially horizontal position inwhich a projection k on the bracket will engage a catch Ic and be held thereby in the raised position for facilitating the loading or unloading of the bobbins. When the bobbin is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the combined threads and filament are resting on the peripheral portion of a rubber covered drum L a number of which are fixed on and rotated by the shaft D.

After the combined threads have been wound on a bobbin K, the latter is transferred to a ring spinning frame M'such as that shown in Fig. 4 wherein the combined threads from a row of such bobbins are passed through a liquid bath m by nip rollers m and through the ring travellers m to bobbins N on which the threads are wound and twisted. A set of bobbins N in which the threads are twisted in one direction and a set of bobbins N in which the threads are twisted in the opposite direction are then placed'on the bobbin racks at the other side of the machine and the oppositely twisted threads passed through a liquid bath m by nip rollers m through the ring travellers m to the bobbins ii are twisted and doubled in the manner described to produce a yarn having the properties mentioned.

By theinvention described an elastic thread The thread is also absolutely uniform in respect of the feature of elasticity dueto the elongation of the rubber filament being definitely measured and controlled. The elastic thread can be used for general purposes and for use in the weaving, The elastic thread knitting and hosiery trades. will lie absolutely fiat when in the inert state due to the fibrous threads not being wrapped around the rubber filament as in the manner usually employed the result being that there is no variable grip imposed upon the rubber component which is thus left practically free to bring the finally combined elastic thread back to the original, length of rubber filament after being stretched to any point of extensibility. Due to the novelty of our processes as herein described we claim that we thereby produce or obtain an elastic thread that is fundamentally different to any other known type. Ordinary cabled" yarn relies as to its shape and build principally upon .a central rubber core, and when the said core fails from any cause-but chiefiy'through abrasion arising out of the gripping" effects of the insulating threads-the entire thread becomes valueless, core and covering alike, the latter por- @JOIIRBQ tion simply raveiiing off according to the pull" or tension that is exerted upon it and becoming in effect a single" elongated thread or "end",

which is only limited in extentby the original straight length of thread or end that is employed in cabling. By contrast, in our new thread any fault in or damage to the rubber component is immediately neutralized by the nature of the construction of the thread or yarn, as all the combining elements that are employed in the formation of the ultimately-prepared elastic yarn will continue to function under every circumstance or condition through their being firmly anchored and combined throughout their entire length, which is the essence and intent of our invention. This important feature thus ensures, that any fabric, whether woven or knitted made from elastic yarns that have been prepared according to our invention, may be relied upon to preserve its original appearance and continue to serve the purpose for which it was intended in the first instance. The process of combining and doubling is applicable to cotton, linen, hemp, jute, artificial silk, natural silk, wool yarns of all descriptions, and yarns prepared from all other known textile fibres, used in association with rubber 'filamental yarn, singly or in multiples of the same kind of material, or otherwise mixed in the same manner according to require ments.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States 1. A process for manufacturing elastic thread comprising combining one or more non-exten sible fibrous threads with a rubber filament and at the same time ballooning the fibrous threads, and subsequently twisting the combined threads into a, completed strand.

2. A process for manufacturing elastic thread comprising combining one or more non-extensible fibrous threads with a rubber filament in anaxial direction, simultaneously ballooning the fibrous threads to disalign their parallel relationship and secure a slight relative binding effect, subsequently subjecting the combined threads to a twisting operation, and thereafter twisting paired lengths in an opposite direction to produce a doubled yarn.

3. A process for manufacturing elastic thread comprising combining one or more non-extensible fibrous threads with a rubber filament in an axial direction, simultaneously distorting the threads with respect to the filament and to each other whereby to provide an overlapping relationship with a slight binding effect, subsequently subjecting the combined threads to a twisting operation, and thereafter doubling the twisted thread and" subjecting the doubled strand to a twisting operation acting in an opposite direction. i. A process formanufacturing elastic thread comprising the application to a traveling rubber filament of one or more non-extensible fibrous threads fed in an axial direction, varying the rate of speed of the rubber filament and the rate of feed of the fibrous threads with respect to each other, ballooning the fibrous threads to provide relative distortion therebetween relative to the rubber filament, and thereafter subjecting the combined threads to a twisting operation.

ROBERT Proms. JOHN PICKLES. 

